Chapter 2 #2
“Who’s your therapist?” He decided to ignore Glenn’s opinion of his extravagant, possibly cursed, necklace.
The Eye of Winter, with its giant diamond and platinum snowflake, could only be removed by his lover and was famous in vampire circles.
It also placed a giant ‘taken’ tag around Quentin’s neck.
“Dr. Wesson. He specializes in the mental and physical health of vampires. He’s great. Your Loverboy recently hired him for the clan. He was a doctor before he was turned against his will. He specializes in the trauma of converting to vampirism.”
“Wow, that’s something. What happened to his attacker?”
“I’m not sure of the facts, but rumor has it that the good doctor took his sire out with prejudice. Everyone is shaky about the details, but from everything I heard, it wasn’t pretty, and no one has challenged Dr. Wesson since.”
“Huh, trust Jaks to hire a badass physician.”
Glenn laughed. “ I’ve only had two sessions with him, but he’s really helped. I think having gone through pretty much the same thing helps him guide me through my issues.”
“Good. I’m glad to hear it.” No matter how cheerful he appeared, Glenn had previously confessed to Quentin that he still had nightmares about his transformation. Maybe this doctor could help his friend.
“Jaks told me that they’re still looking for ways to convict your sire once they get hold of him.”
Glenn’s cheerful expression clouded. “Isn’t he still in the woods? Can’t they just go in there and get him?”
“You would think so,” Quentin agreed. “But entering his territory unprovoked could start a clan war.”
“Even though he turned me against my will?”
“We can’t prove he did it unless we can get close enough to match the magical signatures. Since you weren’t one of Jaks’s people before the turn, he can’t attack after the fact.”
“That’s a nice catch-22,” Glenn growled.
“Right! I thought about sending in bounty hunters, but unless there’s an active bounty, they won’t risk their licenses to capture a vampire.”
Glenn sighed. “Let’s finish packing and get out of here. Then you can tell me all the steamy, depraved things you do with your boyfriend.” He wiggled his eyebrows at Quentin.
Quentin laughed. “I’m not going to tell you what I do with Jaks. He’d kill me.”
Still bickering, they gathered all of Quentin’s things, and he spelled them into a dozen orbs, which he sent home with a pulse of magic. Hopefully, they went to the correct location. Just as he was getting ready to leave, he found a missed spell ball. He tucked it into his pocket to put away later.
“Were you planning to go back to the manor?”
Glenn nodded. “Yeah, wanna give me a lift?”
“How did you get here?”
“I took the bus.”
He tried to wrap his mind around a newly turned vampire riding the bus, but the image soon twisted into a sitcom scenario. Instead of getting into what a bad choice that had been, he agreed. “I can do that.”
They had to go outside for Quentin to teleport. The fields used to block magical interference prevented Quentin from teleporting from the lab. Once they were clear, they vanished from the front of the building and appeared in the vampire mansion’s foyer.
“That’s crazy useful. I wish I could teleport at will.”
Quentin smiled. “It takes a lot of energy, but it does save on car maintenance and parking fees.”
“I bet.”
With murmured goodbyes, they split up to continue their day.
Quentin climbed the stairs in search of the space Jaks said he had reserved for Quentin’s workshop.
He knew it was somewhere on the third floor to allow for natural light.
Especially since an explosion in the basement could take out the mansion’s foundation.
A fact he shared with his vampire when Jaks mentioned he was considering a basement lab.
“What do we have here?” A silky, feminine voice spoke behind him.
Great. Just what he wanted, confrontation in the afternoon. Not every vampire under Jaks’s authority appreciated his obsession with Quentin. However, they usually had more sense than to confront him directly.
He turned around.
Damn.
There were two of them.
Twins. Wrapped in purple leather and attitude. Black bustiers barely kept their breasts from spilling out, and their leather pants made Quentin question whether they could sit or if they just elegantly draped across the furniture.
Jaks would look fine in pants like that. If nothing else came out of this encounter, now he knew what he was getting his lover for Christmas.
The one on the right had a blue streak in her blond hair, the one on the left a purple one that matched their outfits. Their sparkling blue eyes screamed of mischief and danger.
He didn’t groan, but it was close.
Quentin tilted his head. “I didn’t realize there were vampire twins. Were you born vampires?” His scientific curiosity choked out his common sense like a WWW fighter.
“Nope, changed by the same master,” the vampire on the left had a chipper undertone.
“Your new doctor killed him,” the other said in an equally cheerful voice.
“Did Jaks absorb your clan?” It was too much of a coincidence to have three new vampires from the same deceased leader.
They nodded in unison, grinning—vampire politics at its finest.
“Nice necklace.” The vampire on the right admired. “Very sparkly. Wait, is that the Eye of Winter?” Her excited gasp took away some of Quentin’s concerns about having to fight vampires inside Jaks’s mansion.
“Yes,” he self-consciously fingered the ostentatious stone.
“Then you must be Master’s Heart.”
“I am,” he admitted, “and you are.”
“Allea,”—she pointed to the blue-streaked vampire—“and Andrea,”—she pointed at herself—“Master Jakinson’s best fighters.”
“And spies, sister. Don’t forget we’re very sneaky.”
“And spies,” she added agreeably.
Quentin was getting a headache from the banter, but they appeared delighted to see him, and it was better to make friends than more enemies. “Nice to meet you, ladies.”
“You’re very pretty,” possibly Andrea said.
“But not as pretty as your mother,” Allea offered.
“Wait, you met my mother?”
Andrea nodded. “She was kissing Braed.” She wrinkled her nose.
“We don’t trust him.” Allea frowned.
“Have you ever seen him do anything wrong?” Quentin didn’t want to cause any problems if his mother was happy, but he wouldn’t leave her in danger either.
“No,” they said in unison.
“Keep an eye on him if you can. I don’t want my mother hurt.”
“Will do, consort.” Allea saluted.
“As you wish, master’s beloved.” Andrea bowed.
Quentin sighed, but he didn’t complain. He appreciated the extra protection for his mother, even if she wouldn’t. If they were as good as they claimed, she would remain safe and unaware under their watch.
“Ladies.” Jaks’s appearance had Quentin perking up. Damn, he really was becoming conditioned like Pavlov’s dog at hearing his lover’s voice. “Come to give your report?”
“Yes, Master Jaks,” they said in unison.
“Go to my office. I’ll meet you there shortly.”
They bowed and scampered off like children rushing to recess.
Jaks turned to give Quentin his complete attention. “What are you doing up here?”
“I came to check out the lab space you promised me. You said I had a room on the third floor?”
Jaks flashed him a sheepish smile. “Ah, I moved you. Sorry, love, I forgot to mention it, but I know you’ll like the new location better.”
Quentin’s shoulders slumped. It was a good thing he ran into Jaks. He could have been wandering for hours. “To where?”
“We have an outbuilding that used to be the carriage house. I thought it would be perfect for your experiments. It’s stone. If you have an explosion, it should hold steady, or if not, be easily repaired.”
It did sound perfect. “Great! Lead the way.”
“Is this it?” Quentin eyed the stone cottage tucked between towering trees. Vines crawled up the outer walls, adding to its rustic charm. “I feel like I’m on a movie set and I’m either going to find dwarves or a serial killer inside.”
Jaks’s laughter scared a flock of tiny birds. “I’m hoping you’ll like it despite its potential for serial-killer dwarves.”
“Hmm, we’ll see,” he teased.
Despite the old-fashioned look, a glowing screen was located to the right of the door.
“Handprint security lock?”
“Yes. It currently only has us programmed into the system. You’ll have to add anyone else you want to allow unrestricted entry.”
He didn’t bother asking how Jaks got his handprint. Some things were better left undiscovered. “Thank you,” he said sincerely. His lover had put a lot of effort into protecting Quentin’s work. He’d have to make sure to thank him later properly, possibly enthusiastically.
“I’m sure you’ll add your own magical protections as well. I thought a separate building would make that easier, considering some of the safeguards you mentioned before.”
Quentin didn’t even try to hide his mischievous smile. “You know me so well.”
“I like to think so.”
The happy beep of his handprint’s acceptance had Quentin almost dancing through the door. His eager gaze took in his new space. “Nice, very nice. You did very well.”
Jaks’s pleased smile warmed Quentin’s heart.
Other than his mother, no one else had ever really taken the time to pay attention to his needs.
His few relationships hadn’t lasted long enough to worry about likes and dislikes.
For Quentin, a lover who knew him deep down was far more romantic than a roomful of roses.
The workshop was as over-the-top as he’d been expecting after his boyfriend mentioned he had prepared a workspace for him.
Jaks wasn’t the type to skimp on anything, especially when he was trying to keep Quentin focused on research instead of bounty hunter work.
The gleaming counters, large whiteboards, and dozens of shelves filled with jars of ingredients were tempting bribes.
“You like it?”
Quentin nodded. “I do. I like it very much.”
“Do you want to check out the courtyard?”
“There’s a courtyard?” A giddy thrill rushed through him at the thought of having a little patio table where he could have a cup of coffee while planning his next invention.
“Through there.” Jaks pointed to a pair of double doors at the far end of the room that Quentin hadn’t noticed before.
Eager to see this unexpected bonus, he hurried past the long counters and the enormous antique desk with barely a glance at the shiny desktop computer and drawing tablet sitting on the surface. He’d be back to check those out later.
Jaks rushed ahead and opened the door on the right. With a sweeping bow, he ushered Quentin forward.
“Thank you, kind sir.” Quentin sashayed past his lover.
“Wow.”
He’d expected maybe a cafe table, a few chairs, and an umbrella if he were lucky.
Not a magically protected spell range where he could test out new projects.
The protective wards gave off a low-key hum.
“This is amazing. Who did the wards?” If it wouldn’t hold, Quentin would have to be careful how much magic he used in the range.
“Dwarves. I had them plant rune stones around the entire courtyard.”
He didn’t know what to say. Dwarves were damn expensive, and they took their time. Jaks must’ve been planning this for a while. This wasn’t the last-minute change he tried to make it seem. This was months of work. “So, I was right, there were dwarves?”
Jaks’s delighted laughter had Quentin tucking himself in the vampire’s arms. “However am I going to thank you, kind sir?” He fluttered his eyelashes as he pressed against Jaks’s body.
“I’m sure I’ll think of something.” Jaks’s eyes glowed as he regarded Quentin with a far-too-knowing gaze. “I’m glad you like it.”
“I love it. You thought of everything.”
“Not everything. I wasn’t sure what materials you might need for your projects. I only got you the basics.”
“I saw the shelves. I’m sure you supplied me with most of what I need. And I have more at my house. I sent my lab stuff there. I’ll go get it tomorrow and set up shop since I don’t have any classes.”
“Good. Let me know if you need anything else.”
“I will.” Quentin yawned, his jaw cracking at the strength of it. “I’m going to head to the house. It’s been a long day, and I want to make sure my orbs made it safely.”
Jaks kissed him. It took him several minutes to gather his thoughts after his blood and concentration rushed south. Jaks’s smug expression didn’t help. No one should look that sexy while smirking.
Jaks grinned. “Mind if I sleep over?”
“You aren’t going to stay up all night?” Vampires didn’t need a lot of sleep, and he knew Jaks needed less than other vampires. The stronger the vampire, the less rest they required. Jaks’s power level didn’t require much sleep.
“I’ll be by late if you don’t mind.”
“No problem.” He loved waking up in Jaks’s arms. He really wanted to stick around and play in his workshop, but it would all go better if he had all his materials when he started and enough rest not to make stupid mistakes.
Time to go home.